Youngster V
by Inkognito97
Summary: Sequel to 'Youngster IV' A Sith Knight comes face to face with the past, as well as the possible future... Part 25.5 of 'The ABC of Obi-Wan'


I still don't own Star Wars or any of its characters... there would be some drastic chances if I did!

Phew, another one of these... honestly, this was supposed to be a ONE-SHOT... look where we are now... and it is still not finished! O.O

I hope you like it nevertheless! ;)

* * *

Youngster V:

"And you are truly sure that this is going to work?" Anakin sent his former Master a bemused look while they were flying in one of the public transportation systems through the bright night of Coruscant. The city planet never slept and was always bright, either from the sun or from the street lamps and vehicles.

"Yes Master, I KNOW this is going to work." He couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice. He had lost count on how often the ginger haired man had repeated this question. But the blonde could not blame him. If their roles were interchanged, then he would probably react similar or even worse.

"Well, if you say so," it warmed the young Skywalker that his Master was putting so much trust in him.

Anakin and Ahsoka had spent the last few weeks, months even, with undercover research. When they had finally found out that Qui-Gon was indeed not far away – a poor Council member had to suffer by the talented hand of Obi-Wan, of course he did not remember this incident – they had started to plan. At one point Dooku had been informed, he had immediately agreed to help when the ginger haired Sith in Jedi disguise had explained everything. Anakin was still a little uneasy about the Count's involvement, especially since Ventress would be there with them, but after his former Master's reassurance, he had accepted. Besides, Ahsoka would be able to handle Dooku's apprentice quite well, should the need arise that is.

"And you have not forgotten to include Padme and Satine?" Obi-Wan was still worrying his brilliant mind. Then again, he was probably trying everything to keep his mind from coming up with the worst possible outcomes.

"Yes Master, they are informed and more than willing to help, especially Satine." He winked at his shorter companion, who returned with one of his annoyed glances. "What? You love her, don't you? And she loves you. I don't understand why you make such a fuss about it."

The older male rolled his eyes. "It's a little bit different from your and Padme's situation, young one."  
"How so?" he furrowed his brow while Obi-Wan's gaze returned to the buildings they were passing.

"I am a Sith Knight Anakin... I don't know if she will understand."

"Of course she will. I mean, Padme understood when I told her that I would not leave the Jedi Order. It is still working." Anakin distantly remembered when he had gone to Obi-Wan's quarters one evening and confessed everything about his and Padme's secret relationship as well as their wedding back in his late Padawan days. He had been surprised when Obi-Wan had reacted almost nonchalant and it had become even worse when the older male had revealed that he had known all along. Afterwards Anakin had managed to tickle the truth about Satine out of his stubborn Master. It had felt like a great relief to be able to talk to someone like this. That and the Sith had become a valuable help and presence in his relationship with his sometimes stubborn wife.

"We'll see about that, but for now, we should focus on the task ahead." Anakin nodded in agreement and for the rest of the ride they remained silent.

After they had exited their transport, the two men had to walk a few minutes. They had their hoods up, protecting their faces from cameras and passerby alike.

"Had I known that he was being held so close to the actual temple... I should have expected it."

"You couldn't know," Anakin tried to calm his Master down. He could already feel how the Force was shifting around the older male, but not yet in a dark or even dangerous zone. Ever since their confrontation and Obi-Wan's revelation, he had been more open with his emotions and Force presence. It had been quite the shock for Anakin to realize how much his usual serene and calm appearing Master actually felt behind that well crafted mask of his. It rivalled his own state, with the difference that Obi-Wan had better control. But the blonde was already working on that, with the ginger haired Sith's help of course.

"Hiding him in close proximity, in perfect reach to watch him and to use him against me should the need arise," the shorter man shook his head in disgust, "They will pay for that."  
"I thought you were not one for revenge?" the young Skywalker was slightly getting worried.

"Oh, I am not talking about revenge. But there will undoubtedly come a point when the mighty Jedi will require my help and I will see if I am going to jump to their aid willingly."

Anakin hummed in thought. He was not going to argue with Obi-Wan about this point. He knew that it would be a match that he would lose. He was never one for talks and negotiations, at least not, when no lightsaber was involved.

"Dooku will be ready, won't he?" Anakin tried to change the subject.

"He probably has everything set up for a few days now. He would never endanger our lives willingly."  
"And with 'our lives', you mean Qui-Gon's and yours, right?"

Obi-Wan gave him a smirk, "Dooku knows that I would not be very pleased if something would happen to you. He learned that the hard way, after he wounded you on Geonosis. Believe me, he will not make THAT mistake ever again."

Anakin furrowed his brows, "What exactly did you do to him?"

They turned another corner, always staying in the shadows. They could already see the building they were heading for. Who would have thought that the Jedi Order would actually have a hidden base on Coruscant, with underground cells and laboratories? At least they now knew what happened to all those, who were not true to the Order and the Code. An information Anakin did not really want in the first place.

Obi-Wan's eyes sparkled and for a moment they had a golden touch to them. "Oh, I just wiped the sparring ground with my dear Grandmaster." He huffed, "Qui-Gon would have found it hilarious... I hope I can find the footage again."

"You bested Dooku? Alone?"

"No Anakin," the man sighed dramatically, "I had my undead Sith army to back me up. Of course I bested him alone, ever since I turned twenty, he was no match for me."

A picture of his former Master appeared in the forefront of the young Skywalker's mind. He pictured countless zombie like creatures creeping behind the ginger haired man, whose eyes were glowing gold and on whose face black marks had appeared. It was a ridiculous thought, but also felt extremely terrifying.

"Would it be possible? The undead army, I mean."  
"Well," the shorter man cleared his throat, "legends says that there once WAS a Sith who could command the dead. But as every legend, you do not know which parts are actually true and what parts are not. Perhaps he just brought someone from the edge of death, I don't know. I just know that I am not able to bring the dead back to life and no other living person right now is capable either."

"Not even Sidious?" he just wanted to be absolutely sure.

"Not even Sidious," Obi-Wan reassured his young companion. "Now, I think we have arrived," he turned his back to the building, "I'll contact our comrades and you prepare for our entrance."

Anakin immediately followed the order. From one of his pockets he fished a dark mask that would hide his face. With a lot of fantasy, it looked like the head of a gundark, but only with a LOT of fantasy. Obi-Wan would put his on as well – his mask was less colourful, actually it was just a creepy smile painted on a black and white mask – namely as soon as he was finished with his call.

"Good, everybody is in position. As soon as Asajj, Cad and the other bounty hunters create the distraction, we go in. Once we got to Qui-Gon, we free him and bring him to the hanger bay, where Ahsoka will wait with the escape ship. Asajj will take over later and she will bring Qui-Gon to Dooku's base on Serenno. I guess that my Grandmaster will have the medical bay ready by then as well."

Anakin nodded dutifully at the short summery of their mission. It sounded easy and makeable. The two of them had often accomplished worse things, which meant that a little rescue mission couldn't be that hard, right? Then again he had never worked together with bounty hunters, especially not Cad Bane, but Obi-Wan had said that he was trustworthy. Apparently the two of them had become something like friends after the ginger haired Sith had rescued his blue skin one or two times in the past.

The two men exchanged a last glance before they set to work. They did not have to wait long for the distraction to take action. At first, a loud explosion was heard, followed by a distant alarm. The guards and Jedi in the building would go and investigate, leaving their prisoner mostly unprotected.

"That's our signal," the older male stated and he was already moving towards one of the hidden entrances. There were several, probably to make sure that special prisoners could quickly be moved out of the danger zone, not that it would help the Jedi now.

A light shudder ran through Anakin Skywalker's whole body when he felt his former Master's aura darkening, he had still not gotten used to that aspect just yet. He could feel the other's Force presence reaching out, searching for any sign of life, danger or something else. He himself quickly followed the Sith's example and promptly spotted his Padawan's Force signature, along that of Ventress. The bounty hunters were close by and a few Force sensitive beings, those were the Jedi, were closing in rapidly.

"We don't have much time," the blonde said while igniting his lightsaber, just as Obi-Wan had just done.

"How about we stop talking then and focus on cutting open the entrance instead," came the sarcastic remark. The Jedi Knight did as he was told and together, the pair was now standing inside a bright hallway. It was almost beautiful and peaceful in there, hadn't it been for the flashing blood red light.

"This way," Obi-Wan motioned his companion to follow. Meanwhile the Jedi had closed in on the distraction, oblivious to the true threat that had already infiltrated their defences.

The masked men made quick progress. Only two times did they had to hide behind a pillar or false wall and only ones did they have to take another path, because they had met obstacles and patrols along the way.

"Master, I am not sure how long Ventress and the bounty hunters can hold their position," Ahsoka's voice sounded through the comlink on Anakin's arm. Golden eyes looked at his companion, Obi-Wan had heard what had been said as well.

"Master," Anakin began, but he was quickly interrupted. "I will not return, not at this point. You and your student are free to leave whenever you want however," the accented and cultivated voice said.

The Knight hesitated only a second, "We won't abandon you."

"Master is right," the young Togruta chirped in.

"Thank you," and from the way the older male's voce quivered, Anakin knew that he truly meant that.

"Not for that my former Master," and with that they continued their search, steps just this much quicker. They had refrained from using any names, in case the cameras were able to record audio.

"He's here," Anakin allowed himself to sigh in relief at the words of his dark companion. He had hoped and begged to the Force that they would find Qui-Gon soon, not only for the Jedi Master's sake, but for Obi-Wan's sake as well. The ginger haired male was greatly bothered by the whole affair and whenever that particular topic had came up, there had been an almost undetectable shift in the man's Force presence. An outsider would never have noticed it, but the young Skywalker HAD been Obi-Wan's Padawan for over ten years after all. You learn a few things about a person in ten years and the person about you as well. It was just natural.

"What are we waiting for then?" he had his lightsaber back in his hand, its blue blade shimmering and ready for action, but an outstretched hand stopped him.  
"No Anakin, wait. We don't know in what condition he is and how he will react to contact with another being or the Force. We have to be careful."

The younger male hummed, "I should let you do it then," he deactivated his deadly weapon and took a step back again, to give the Sith in Jedi disguise some room to work with. He received a grateful nod in return.

The ginger haired man took a calming breath and released all his emotions into the Force, leaving him in a calm and almost meditating state. He called back the darkness and made his presence in the Force as neutral as humanly possible. He guessed that his old Master would react positive to the dark energy, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, which is why he lowered it. Then he reached out with the Force and slowly, very slowly opened the cell door.

All his training as Jedi and as Sith, could not have prepared Obi-Wan for the sight that greeted him upon the opening door. The cell was dark, pitch dark to be exact. The only light inside, was the light that came from the hallway. The cell's inhabitant immediately tried to escape the brightness, but it was to no avail, for he was chained like a dirty animal to the wall. There were Force suppressing cuffs on his wrists, on his ankles and around his neck. All cuffs were connected with laser chains to the wall. The man was gagged as well, with an uncomfortable looking mask. Obi-Wan noticed with horror that his beloved Master was not well cared for. He was clearly dehydrated and underfed, probably just given the minimum for his survival. His brown hair was tangled, unkempt, matted in most places and was also a lot longer than the last time Obi-Wan had seen the man. The same could be said from the beard, or at least from the parts of the beard which were not covered by the mask and could therefore be seen. Midnight blue eyes that used to sparkle with life and contentment, were now lifeless and full of fear. It was as if there was a completely different man right in front of the ginger haired Sith.

He took a hesitant step into the cell, only to stop dead in his tracks, when a whimpering sound escaped the gagged man. Qui-Gon's whole body was shivering violently and he wanted nothing more than to escape, that much was clear.

"What have those monsters done to you?" Obi-Wan asked out aloud and he fought hard to force his emotions under control. There were hate and anger pulsing deep in his veins, but he couldn't allow it to run free, not when Qui-Gon needed him clear headed. He took another step forward, ignoring the obvious flinch of the older male and his worsening trembling.

"Master, is everything alright?" Anakin whispered just loud enough for the ginger haired adult to hear. Obi-Wan was thankful for that.

"No..." he replied honestly, "I fear that I have to use a Force suggestion to calm him down... he is disorientated and in a lot of distress. Also those cuffs have to stay on for now..."

"Oh," was all Anakin could reply, not that Obi-Wan blamed him. He himself struggled with finding the right words, and he was 'The Negotiator' after all, or at least that is what the people liked to call him. He himself was not very eager for such a title, it had no real use, it could not save people or make a change after all.

Obi-Wan lowered himself to the floor and did not allow himself to be bothered by the dry substances on the dirty ground. Right now the only thing that mattered, was getting Qui-Gon out of here. He reached out with the Force, focusing on the Sith Lord in front of him, or what remained of the once proud and strong man. The man's mind was just like his outward appearance, in complete disarray and not well cared for. There were no real mental shields protecting the older male's mind and it was easy for the trained Sith to get into the other's mind to plant drowsiness and the overwhelming desire to sleep there. Eventually the tall man just slumped in his cuffs, haunted eyes closed and breathe calming down. Only then did Obi-Wan open his own eyes again. In one fluid move, he was at his Master's side, opening the cuffs on his wrists and ankles, but not the one around his neck, with the aid of the Force and capturing the tall frame in his arms when he cut through the last chain. The man was a lot thinner than he used to and therefore a lot lighter. With Anakin's help, Qui-Gon was positioned on the ginger haired Sith's shoulders.

"Ready Master?" the blonde asked. He received a short nod as an answer. "Alright, let's go then, I will contact Ahsoka on the way."

The next phase of their plan worked as well. Ahsoka was waiting, like she was supposed to, with an unobtrusive little transport vehicle at the meeting point. With much care had Obi-Wan positioned his Master on one of the makeshift beds and secured the man so that he would not fall out. Ahsoka had taken off then, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to help Asajj and the bounty hunters in their escape. They knew that their third phase was quickly approaching and that the time in between was short, but they would never leave a comrade behind.

"It was nice working with you again, my dear Obi-Wan," the bald Sith assassin purred once they were outside the base. The ginger haired Sith just huffed and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, which she promptly returned, before he was able to rearrange his mask. She then vanished into the darkness of the night, undoubtedly on her way to join and assist Dooku, who would await Ahsoka and Qui-Gon. The young Togruta Padawan would leave her cargo in Dooku's capable hands and then she was to return to the Jedi temple.

Cad Bane did NOT want to be kissed, nor did Obi-Wan want to kiss him. It was different with Asajj, because she was like a sister or a cousin for him. But the blue bounty hunter with the ridiculous hat at least allowed the young Sith to hug him.

"Till the next time I have to save your behind, Kenobi," he was wearing his trademark smirk on his face.

"Excuse me? Usually it is ME, who is doing the rescuing," Obi-Wan laughed. They quickly parted ways after a last handshake, to Force knows where. Obi-Wan and Anakin however, had a meeting with a senator and a duchess and they did not want to let the ladies wait.

"Come on Anakin," the young Sith whispered fiercely and pushed his former pupil with the aid of the Force onto the balcony of Senator Amidala's quarters. He himself quickly followed suit, much more elegant however.

As expected, the glass doors that led to the apartment's insides, was not locked and the two Force users silently slipped inside. They listened for voices or other sounds, but could only hear the two females talking, which is why they carefully walked into the living space, where the two females were dining together.

"Padme," Anakin exclaimed happily and he had already crossed half the distance between them, with the mask ripped off of his face, before she looked up. Obi-Wan was a little shyer.

"Satine," he bowed his head to the blonde beauty, while the other pair had embraced each other. She had discarded her royal clothes and her usual head gown, for a plain blue dress, but she still looked stunning to his eyes.

"Obi-Wan," the Mandalorian returned the greeting, before she boldly reached out to pull the hideous mask from his face. She carelessly discarded it onto the floor, where it laid upside down. "You should change your clothes," she continued.

He nodded mechanically, but did not move from the spot he was standing on and neither did he turn his gaze away from her face. Her brow slightly furrowed when he did not move, which is why she took his hand into her own and led him towards Padme's bedroom, where two bags rested on the bed. One belonged to Anakin and one to Obi-Wan.

"Is everything alright?" her worried voice cut through his thoughts and he was able to pull away from her enough, to get rid of the black robe he was wearing. He carelessly let it slight onto the silky sheets of the king-sized bed.

"Yes," a pause, "no." He sighed and he felt her come up behind him, while he slowly changed back into his usual Jedi gear.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked while helping him with the heavy armour.

He hesitated, "I want to tell you a secret."

"A secret?" her curiosity was spiked and only then did he turn around, fully dressed as Jedi Master and General of the Republic Army, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Yes, there is something important I have to tell you about," he gripped both of her hands and pulled her towards the comfortable bed, so that they could sit on it.

"What is it?" her thumb was soothingly rubbing over his gloved knuckles. They still had strong emotions for each other, but they had never acted upon them, because of Obi-Wan's status as a 'Jedi' Knight. This was just one of many reasons why he wanted to tell her the truth about himself, about his true nature. He still was not sure she would understand, but he hoped she would. He didn't want to lose her, not like he lost Qui-Gon all those years ago. Of course he WOULD let her go, if she wanted to leave that is. But still...

"It's about me," as if in trance did he watch the regular movements of her thumb. It was what kept him grounded in the here and now, what gave him hope and strength to continue speaking.

"Does it have to do with your rescue mission?" her voice was patient and calm. She could see how hard it was for him and she remained calm until he could say what he wanted to talk about.

"Not directly no, it is somehow connected, but I will tell you that later, if you want," he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped a little. "I'm, I'm a Sith, Satine..." he trailed off.

Her thumb stopped moving, but she made no further move to pull away. Actually she did not move at all, nor did she say anything for a while. Now it was Obi-Wan's turn to wait. She had given him his time and he would give her hers.

"I," she cleared her throat, "I don't understand."

Only now did he look up, his eyes meeting hers and she gasped when she saw that blue-green had turned into a shimmering gold. "I am a Sith... not one of those monsters, who are responsible for this war, mind you, but..." he exhaled through his nose.

Her slim finger wrapped slowly around his gloved ones, he too tightened his hold on her hand. Her eyes were calculating, clearly searching his face for something. He waited.

"Does it... make you a bad person?" she had tilted her head away, a little to the right.

"The Jedi would say 'yes'."

She hummed and her gaze left his to look at the closed door, "Is he one as well?" It was clear that she was talking about Anakin.

"No," he shook his head, even though she couldn't see it.  
"Does he know?"

"Yes," he wondered where this conversation was going, but he counted it as a small victory, that she had not left yet.

"You use the... dark side of the Force, don't you?" It reminded him of that night all those years ago, when the two of them had huddled close to a fire, separated from Qui-Gon and any other help. Obi-Wan had still been a student back then. He and Qui-Gon had been sent on the mission to save her from assassination attempts. He was glad they succeeded.

"Yes," he replied again, wishing he could say more.

"Explain it to me," she demanded from him.

He cleared his throat and his gaze settled on a picture on the wall, without really seeing it. "The dark side of the Force is impulsive and sometimes reckless. Of course it exists because of the light, light cannot be without the darkness, but it also exists because of strong emotions. Hate and fear are often believed to be the dominant ones, but love and happiness are a part of the dark side as well. It is not as restrained as the light, it loves its freedom. It is not calculable; it can be destruction and chaos, but also safety and health. The dark side is more than darkness, hate and destruction."

"Yet the Jedi fear it, why?"

"People tend to fear what they don't know and don't understand. That and the Jedi are stuck in traditions and old tails. They got to know the dark side as something evil, due to the wars. Little do they know that it were monsters like Bane who destroyed everything."  
"You refer to this 'Bane' as monster, but he was a Sith..."

"He was not a true one," his voice sounded harsher than he intended to, "he belonged to a separate group, who had the audacity to call themselves Sith, when in truth they were corrupt people, using the dark side to their advantage, to gain power and to suppress the innocent and those who are weaker."

"You don't do that," he looked at her and found that her brows were furrowed.

"No..." he was not sure if it had been a statement or a question, but the ginger haired Sith had answered nevertheless.

Her gaze found his again and to the Sith's surprise, there was a small smile on her lips. "Then you are not a bad person..."

"Satine," he did not come further.

"No matter what you call yourself... Jedi or Sith, you are still my knight in shining armour," it was the closest they had ever gotten to say 'I love you' to each other. He gave into the desire and lifted his free hand to her cheek and she immediately leaned into the contact. "What else does it mean, for us?" she wanted to now, her voice barely above a whisper.

"The Jedi Code forbids attachment and it frowns heavily upon romantic intercourses and relationships, the Sith Code... does not." It was all she needed to now, before she darted forward.

He was too stunned at first to respond to the pair of warm and sweet lips on his, but the young Sith quickly caught himself. He raised both his arms and held her tight against his chest, while her hands tightened in the front of his tunics. Slowly one of his gloved hands, found their way into her unbound blonde hair and he closed his eyes, their kiss full of passion, but not hectic.

They pulled apart, both breathless. Golden eyes that were slowly returning to their previous colour, locked with blue ones.

"Obi," it was almost pleading.

"Hush, my beloved," again he pressed his mouth to hers, stealing small kisses from her. She made a surprised but pleased noise when he pulled her onto his lap and he smiled against her mouth.

Her gip on his arms was almost painful, but also very much welcomed, for it grounded him in the reality. Both of them knew that they could not go further, not now and definitely not in Padme's apartment with said Senator and Anakin in the next room.

Speaking of which, a loud cough parted the two lovers. Satine was bright red and hid her face in Obi-Wan's neck, who lazily and with an innocent look on his bearded features, looked over, to the pair at the door. Anakin Skywalker looked way too amused for the Sith's liking, but he decided that it was wiser not to say anything about it. Padme Amidala did NOT look amused, she was almost as red as her friend, clearly embarrassed to have watched those interactions. Even without reading her mind, Obi-Wan could tell that she was thinking about herself and Anakin. Her embarrassment turned to horror and the young Sith guessed that she just realized that they often made such public displays as well.

"Did we interrupt something?" the blonde Knight asked smugly, he had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied boldly and he felt his beloved gasp in outrage against his chest, "and you are embarrassing my betrothed." That caught the attention of all people in the room, even Satine straightened up and looked searchingly into his calm face.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Yes sweet one," he urged her to stand, only to slip to his knees right in front of her. She gasped in shock, when he produced a small black box out of one of his pockets on his belt and he opened it, revealing a silver ring with a small blue crystal worked into it. It was a part of his saber crystal and from the increased shock in the air, the people present knew that as well. "Will you marry me? I know this is rash, but with the war going on and me being a Sith..." he trailed off.

Had Obi-Wan's attention been on Padme, he would have seen her horrified gaze and Anakin whispering something assuring to her. He would have seen her nodding in understanding and though there was still a little doubt in her eyes, she would have smiled. But Obi-Wan did pay her no attention, he was solemnly focused on the woman who was standing in front of him, clearly struggling to form words.

"Well?" even though there was humour in his voice, his blue-green eyes started to show a hint of worry, but Satine had herself finally back under control.

She breathlessly said, "Yes."

With shaking hands, did Obi-Wan put the ring on her finger and then – in one fluid motion – did he stand up and scoop her into his arms, spinning her around, both of them laughing merrily. The couple shared another brief kiss, before Satine was wrapped into the hug of her friend, who was congratulating her and then dragging her out of the room to discuss female stuff, probably related to the current happening.

With great amusement, did Anakin watch how his former Master sat on the bed with a relieved sigh, before letting himself fall back onto the soft mattress. He himself started to change quickly and only when he was in his normal Jedi uniform, did he join the older man on the bed, who had his eyes closed at this point.

"My congratulations Master, even though I TOLD you so." He was lying on his stomach, propped up with his elbows and looking down at the ginger haired male.

One blue-green eye peeked up at him, "I don't know if I should thank you or hit you right now." He joked back and the young Skywalker laughed out loud.

"I would prefer the first option," he bumped his arm with Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Of course you would."

A moment of silence passed between the men, "I didn't know that you had planned to ask her to marry you..." there was a strange tone in his voice.

The young Sith opened both his eyes now, "That's because I didn't." The blonde shot him a curious and questioning glance and Obi-Wan continued, "It was not my intention to ask her now and today... it was... a rash decision, made in the rush of the moment."

"Yet you cut off a part of your crystal and somehow found the time and resources to get her a ring, a wonderful one, might I add."

"I did, didn't eye..." his gaze was distant.

Anakin's eyes softened, "Sounds more like me and less like you."

The bearded male sent his younger companion a smirk, "I always told you that in a real Master-Padawan team, the student learns from the teacher and the mentor also learns from the apprentice."

Anakin huffed, "Perhaps I SHOULD have listened more to your lectures," he looked sheepishly down at the raised eyebrow he received from his former Master before he got a Force hit to the head. "Hey!"

"Consider this as your punishment, insolent youngling; I am not in the mood for more." He got up, quickly followed by the younger Knight. "We should get back." Anakin only nodded in agreement.

As soon as the two Force users entered the living area again, the two females looked up from whatever they were doing. Padme quickly hid something behind her back. Obi-Wan and Anakin shared a look. They silently agreed that it would be better not to ask.

The two males users had just sat down again, in front of the two females, when a heavy knock sounded at the door to the apartment. Padme quickly went to answer it.

Obi-Wan was not surprised when Mace Windu, closely followed by Kit Fisto and Plo Koon, as well as two temple guards entered. It was a little overdone, thought the Sith Knight, but he did not comment on this either. Instead he sent Anakin a disapproving look, when he started squirming on his seat.

"Good evening Senator, Duchess, Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker."

Obi-Wan had figured that this was an official visit. "What brings you here on this fine evening, Mace?" Thankfully one of the ladies had removed his mask that had previously rested on the floor and had hidden it somewhere.

The Korun Master cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with this whole affair. Obi-Wan made sure to remember that. "There has been an attack on one of OUR bases on the lower levels." The Sith furrowed his brow for show.

"Our bases? I didn't know the Jedi had other buildings aside the temples," Anakin said aloud.

"They are more like hideouts or... prisons for certain kinds people," Plo Koon explained.

"What do you mean by 'certain kinds people'?" Anakin was completely in his role.

"Sith or other Force users... perhaps traitors," Obi-Wan explained and Plo Koon nodded.

"Alright," the blonde Jedi said slowly, "and I guess you want us to hunt whoever was freed?"

"No exactly," Mace was shifting uncomfortable again.

"The person that has been freed was... Qui-Gon Jinn." Obi-Wan, who had been taking a sip from his tea cup, was coughing violently now. He bend forward and his former student hit him on the back to help as best as he could.

"What," another cough, "what did you say?"

"Your former Master," Kit Fisto finally said something as well.

"Qui-Gon is dead," the Sith put his cup back on the table and stood up. He made sure to allow a healthy amount of uncertainty into the Force. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Anakin was standing as well now.

"No he is not," the dark skinned Korun Master took the word again, "We kept him imprisonment on Coruscant, to have an eye on him and to ask him after his intentions with you. He was not cooperative." The last part was added almost as an afterthought.

"I cannot believe that you kept him here and that you faked his death without telling us," Anakin snapped.  
"Anakin," Obi-Wan's tone was warning, "don't."

"What? This is what they are calling trust? We had a right to know... YOU had a right to know."

"Enough," the Sith in disguise bellowed and the young Knight immediately shut his mouth. Obi-Wan could feel that they were actually fooling the three Council members with their acting. "I am sure that the Council had its... reasons, for keeping this affair private and secret."

Mace nodded, "Indeed."  
"Well, why did they tell us now then?" the ginger haired Sith did not answer, but gazed at the older males in front of him.

Again the Korun Master cleared his throat, but he did not say anything. It suddenly dawned on Obi-Wan, "You suspect us."

"In our defence," Kit Fisto cut in, you ARE of his line. It is only a precautionary measure we are taking." The green male suddenly slid down much further on Obi-Wan's mental list. It was his personal ranking, on top were the persons – most of them NOT Jedi – that he somewhat liked or respected. Anakin, Ahsoka and Satine were on top, as well as Dooku, Asajj and Cody too. Cad Bane was relatively high on that list as well, Mace Windu and Sifo-Dyas not so much. The latter was kind of creepy really... and he had been the leading source when he had been thought a traitor.

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan were not at all fooled by those pretty words and from the looks of it, neither were the two females in the room. They were keeping their distance, but were still listening to what was being said.

"Understandable," the ginger haired male forced himself to say in a calm and understanding voice, "how do we proceed then?"

At this the masked Jedi turned to the two senators. Plo Koon bowed and only then did he start to speak, "Senator, Duchess, if you don't mind me asking, how long have Master Kenobi and Master Skywalker been here?"

Satine stepped forward, head held high in a sign of surety and pride, "They have been here almost all evening, since the sixth hour." The lie came easily to her, she was keeping her betrothed save after all.

"Is there any evidence?" Kit Fisto wanted to know. And Anakin wanted to hit him.

Apparently he was not the only one, "Evidence?" Padme was not at all pleased, "Of course there is no evidence except OUR words, or do you expect me to spy on my friends and comrades?"  
"He didn't mean to insult you," Plo Koon quickly tried to assure the angry senator, while sending an evil glare over his shoulder to the green Council member. He at least had the brain to do so. Plo Koon was also one of the few Jedi, Obi-Wan actually respected and liked. He was located somewhere in the middle of the Sith's mental list.

"No harm done," the Naboo senator eventually replied and once more did Plo Koon bow to her, this time in a sign of gratitude.

"Besides," Satine cut in, "our words should be evidence enough, we are members of the Senate after all... unless you are calling us liars." Kit Fisto was clever enough not to walk into this one.

"Of course not, duchess," Mace Windu took a step towards the door, "We are finished here." He motioned for the other Jedi to leave the apartment, which they of course did.

"What about us? Do you require our assistance?" the blonde Knight asked aloud.

The black skinned Korun Master sighed, "We will require your presence tomorrow before the Council."

"What about the accusations against us?" Anakin further wanted to know.

Mace turned towards Anakin, "I think we can agree that your alibi is... enough to eliminate all suspicion." Both Obi-Wan and Anakin mentally sighed in relief.

"This went well," the ginger haired Sith remarked once all Jedi had left, not only the apartment, but the whole building. The duchess of Mandalore immediately walked to him and cuddled close to his side. He could feel her anxiety and relief in the Force. "It's alright, dear one," he mumbled into her hair that smelled like flowers. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Padme and Anakin embracing as well.

Obi-Wan put a comforting kiss on his betrothed's forehead and only then did she pull away. "We'll be alright," he repeated.

"Yes," she agreed.

* * *

Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave a comment behind. :)


End file.
